Fortitude
by jeddyybear
Summary: Opportunity rarely presents itself and brings huge surprises.  Join Cloud in his adventure to fame and glory.
1. Chapter 1

Cloud, who just graduated High School, sat down on a bench on a Sunday morning. He heaved a great big sigh and stretched his arms way up in the sky.

It was summer and Cloud has absolutely nothing to do. He has been living alone ever since he entered Freshman year. His parents, who are top

executives and closely work with President Shinra of the Shinra Inc, are rich and send money to Cloud at the end of every month.

"Thanks Mom and Dad for the expensive coffee that I bought" mumbling to himself sarcastically. He took a quick sip and heaved another big sigh.

"Is this how it's going to be every day? No excitement...it's so boring." He thought to himself. "College isn't my thing. Money obviously won't be a

problem, but sitting down in a classroom and lectures aren't really my thing." After about an hour staying in the same spot, he stretched his legs and

decided to go back to his apartment.

As he was about to stand up, his eye catches a young lady holding a purse walking. This lady looked like she was the same age of Cloud. With long black

hair, pale looking skin, beautiful eyes, and a nice body overall, Cloud couldn't take his eyes off her.

The deep concentration was broken when two men in grey hoodies and long black pants came rushing down behind her. The one on the left used his

shoulder to knock down the young lady while the one on the right simultaneously grabbed her purse and quickly fled the scene.

Cloud had absolutely no idea on what to do in a situation like this and just froze in his spot with his eyes open wide. His legs started to shake and breathing started to become rapid.

"I have to help her! Come on legs, work damn it!" shouting in his mind.

"Help! Someone please!" yelled the young lady.

Cloud took a deep breath, slightly bending his knees. Like a cheetah hunting their prey, Cloud leaned forward and pushed from the ground with all his

might, making him dash a great distance.


	2. Chapter 2: Down and Out

"Left. They went left."

*Pant pant pant* "Where'd they go? Where the hell did they go?"

Cloud ran as fast as he could, bumping into strangers in the crowded streets. Finally, he spotted the two guys still running side by side. Cloud quickly ran into their direction and started the chase.

Realizing that Cloud was right behind them, the two men looked at each other and nodded. Suddenly, they broke right and accelerated into a dark alley. Cloud, without thinking, followed them, abandoning the busy streets.

"Show yourselves, come on!" Cloud thinking to himself. He slowed down and started to walk, noticing the eerie silence.

*BANG*

Cloud jumped and shifted his body to where the sound came from. He soon found out that it was just a cat that knocked down a garbage can.

"Oh…it's just you." He slowly approached the cat, lowering down his guard.

All of a sudden, a huge force knocked him down, sending him to crash into the garbage cans. He quickly got up and there were the two men, smiling.

"So!" yelled both of them at the same time. "Trying to be a hero? Well, look where it got you. To reward your efforts of making it this far, you'll get to know the people who will beat you to death."

"Name's Reno." pointing at himself. "That's my partner Rude."

Reno has long, red, spiky hair that was tied into a ponytail. All of his mannerisms showed that he was a cocky and an arrogant person. Rude, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He is tall, bald, has a goatee, and is wearing shades. He didn't smile like Reno, but gave a little head nod to Cloud.

"Damn! What do I do? Fight? No, I can't. I won't be able to put up a fight. Run? No! Then what the hell was that chase for? " Knowing that his pride is on the line, Cloud put his fists up and spat the blood from his mouth. "Bring it!"

Having no experience in fighting, he knew that he was done for. But Cloud had no choice but to man up and try his best. He quickly dashed towards Reno and shifted his whole weight into his right arm and swung. Easily, Reno took a step back and used Cloud's momentum to grab him by the arm and swung him towards his counter-part. Cloud's face met a clothesline, knocking him to the ground. Coughing up more blood, he quickly rolled away and could barely stand.

Reno took out what looked like a short steel rod.

"Awh, c'mon. You done already? Don't worry, we'll finish this nice and quick." Reno said while twirling the rod in his hand. "With that being said…"

Cloud prepared for the worst as he knew that Reno's demeanor changed. His smile was gone and looked at Cloud dead straight in the eye.

Reno started slowly walking towards him with Rude right behind him. After a few steps, he started to jog, accelerating slowly. Cloud started to take a few steps back, feeling frightened on what's going to happen next. He put his hands up, keeping a close eye on the steel rod.

Reno jumped and attempted to hit Cloud's head. Luckily, he was able to put up his fists up, diverting the pain to his arms. Cloud dashed backwards and didn't realize that Rude was right behind him. Rude kicked Cloud at the back oh his right leg, causing him to kneel. Before he knew it, Reno was right in front of him, preparing to strike from the bottom. With his knees bent, Reno pushed himself off the ground and hit Cloud square on the chin. This caused Cloud to be forced upwards. Rude then proceeded to use his two fists to pound Cloud's face towards the ground. He went face first to the ground.

Trying to move any part of his body, Cloud slowly started to black out. The last he heard was Reno's laugh that was fading.


	3. Chapter 3: Bitter Sweet Feeling

"_Mmm…What's that fragrant smell? It smells like strawberries and daisies delicately fused together to create such an arousing scent."_

Cloud slowly opened his eyes to find out that there was a girl, a few inches from his face, staring straight back at him. It took him a few moments to realize the reality of a young lady so close to him. His eyes widened and tried to get up, resulting in their foreheads bumping to each other.

"Ouch!" she yelled as she was massaging her head. "Calm down! You're safe and being taken care of."

Bandages were wrapped around Cloud's head, covering his eyebrows to the top of his head. Threads of his spiky, blonde hair poked out. A band aid covered the huge cut on his chin. A cast on his left wrist seemed to have random drawings of strawberries and the word "Tifa."

Seeing Cloud trying to make out what was drawn on his cast, Tifa turned red and slowly hid the black marker behind her. "Hehe…sorry, I was bored waiting for you to wake up, so I decided to doodle on your cast. I'm Tifa." she said smiling.

"Wow, what a beautiful smile." Cloud thought to himself. "Ahem, anyway…I want to thank you for helping me out."

"Actually, I should be thanking you for helping me out."

Cloud gave her a questioned look and realized that this was the same girl that had her purse taken. He couldn't believe how he didn't recognize her. After figuring out who she was, Cloud started to become uneasy since Tifa's beauty was out of the ordinary.

"Well, I didn't really help you out. Your purse is still with them and I ended up with nothing. Sor-"

Tifa gently laid her hand on Cloud's shoulder and looked at him with such innocence. "It's okay…At least you tried right? You're probably wondering how you got here. As soon as you took off to chase them, I quickly got up and did my best to keep track. I was pretty far away, but I managed to spot you when you made that sharp turn. I saw it leading into a dark alley…so I knew someone was going to get hurt." The last few words seem to break off. She looked at the bandages that Cloud harbored.

"I'm doing fine! You did a really great job taking care of me, I feel so much better" Cloud said, trying to make the atmosphere brighter.

Tifa brushed her hair aside, smiled, and continued. "Once I got there, you were on your back. At first, I thought you were dead. But once I got closer to you, I noticed your chest moving which was a huge relief. You needed immediate medical attention and the hospital was an hour from where we were. My apartment was just walking distance. We decided to bring you here in my apartment. I may not look like I have a lot of experience in treating wounds, but TRUST me, I do."

Cloud didn't care if she could treat wounds or not. He enjoyed her company, and he hopes that she does too. Cloud looked around the apartment. It was a one-bedroom apartment with a spacious kitchen and living room. It was simple and elegant. He was on the couch with different sizes and shapes of pillow around him. Tifa wanted to make sure he was comfortable.

"Would you like anything to drink? Coffee? Juice? Water?"

"Yeah..Coffee would be nice if that's okay." Cloud grunted as he attempted to stand. Tifa quickly pushed him back as gentle as possible and gestured him to stay still. Cloud continued to gaze at her as she went to prepare the cups

"Oh! I didn't get to ask your name." Tifa said as she was preparing to make the coffee.

"It's Cloud. Cloud Strife." He said. "Sorry for making you do this."

"Stop apologizing Cloud! It's fine really. Here, the coffee's almost ready." She added sugar and creamer, then grabbed the two cups and walked energetically towards the living room.

"Thank you, I really appreciate this." Cloud took a sip and can feel the warmth in his chest.

Tifa grinned and gave a nod. For hours, Tifa and Cloud started to get to know each other. Tifa is in the same situation as Cloud. Her parents are very rich and work for Shinra Inc. Their jobs are to fully explore the powers of Materia, working long hours and not having any time for Tifa. For that reason, Tifa lived with a nanny her whole life. She decided to live alone when she started Freshman year and start somewhere new. She is going to college, taking up medicine.

"Any specific reason why you're taking medicine?" Cloud asked after taking the last sip.

The question seemed to burden Tifa because as soon as the words came out of Cloud's mouth, she bit her lower lip and looked away.

"You don't have to answer that question if you don't want to…" Cloud mumbled.

After a few seconds of silence, the door opened.

"Must be Zack!" Tifa exclaimed.

_Zack?_

Author's Note:

Sorry for this chapter for being slow with no action. The future chapters will have action-packed chapters so never fear! Also, I will try updating as much as I can. I'm in the military and I only do this in my free time, so please bear with me. I assure you that the story will be updated at least once a week. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4: Zack's Strength

…_Zack?_

Tifa quickly got to her feet and ran to the door, hugging Zack without hesitation. Zack has spiky black hair, wearing black shorts and a red t-shirt. He is very energetic and seems to have the personality that the general population likes. His body structure tells that the gym is part of his lifestyle.

"You're back! You know how long I was waiting for you?" She put her hands on her waist and pouted. "You're in big trouble!"

"Wai- huh? What are you talking about? I'm on time, see!" Zack pointed at his watch and showed it to her.

"I tol-" Before Zack was able to finish, Tifa gave him a hug, burying her face into his chest. This surprised him, but soon smiled and hugged her back. Cloud was at the back, still on the couch, thinking how cute they look. But he also feels a hint of jealousy and snapped back to reality that he was just a stranger in their apartment.

Cloud slowly pushed the pillows that were around his legs away and carefully tried to stand up.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Zack dropped his gym bag near the door and proceeded to the living room.

Smiling, he reached out his hand and offered a handshake. "Hey, how are you bro?"

"I'm' doing much better, thanks for everything" Cloud gave a firm handshake and apologized.

"I told you a MILLIION times, stop apologizing!" Tifa shouted from the door.

"Well, I'm just glad you are doing fine. If you need to stay one more night, please do. It's not a problem. By the way, I'm Zack Fair."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Cloud Strife."

After their initial greeting, the three of them settled down in the kitchen. Tifa prepared curry which was her specialty. Rice, fish, and miso soup were also cooked and served. They stayed at the dinner table hours at end, exchanging stories and getting to know each other.

Zack met Tifa at the beginning of the semester in high school. They eventually became a couple and decided to live together a couple years back. Zack decided not to go to college and instead chase his dreams to be a trainer.

"A trainer?" Cloud asked out of curiosity.

"Yeah, I train fighters to in SWF or Shinra World Fighting. Have you ever heard of that?"

"I see it on TV sometimes but I don't know exactly how it works. Is it like boxing?"

"Now you're done it Cloud." Tifa said putting her head down. "Zack here LOVES talking about SWF. Now that he found someone that knows almost nothing about SWF, he's going to take over the whole conversation."

"I love what I do, I can't do anything about it" Zack shrugged. "But since Tifa here is being a party pooper, I'll tell you the simple things about it. You are right about it being like boxing, except rules are different. There are 10 rounds in total. In boxing, rounds have a set time till the bell rings. In SWF, the round ends when your opponent is knocked down two times. The match ends when your opponent can't get up after ten seconds. It's a sport that tests strength, speed, skill, endurance and is more brutal."

"What about the principle of just using fists?" Cloud asked with interest.

"It's the same principle with a twist. Elbows are allowed in the fight. Also, clinching is not allowed." Zack explained.

"Okay, okay. You can stop now Zack." Tifa stood up and started to clean up the table. "It's getting late and Cloud needs to get some rest."

Cloud wanted to hear more about SWF. The sport sounds exhilarating and exciting. Although he saw it on TV a few times, he didn't take much interest of it. After realizing how easy it was for him to get beaten up, this appealed to him to become stronger.

"Actually, I think I can carry myself back home. My apartment is not that far." Cloud explained. He felt like he was a bother and wanted to leave them alone.

"Come on, we told you, you can stay for a night" Zack offered.

Cloud continued to deny and soon, Tifa and Zack agreed to let him go on one condition. They were going to accompany him to his apartment. They felt like they had to because they assume it's their fault. It was Tifa's purse so they felt guilty.

After 30 minutes of cleaning up, Zack, Tifa, and Cloud headed out. Cloud couldn't walk on his own so he had to put his arm over Zack's shoulder. The three of them continued to share stories and enjoy each other's company.

"Yeah! I remember that time! How did that go again Zack?" Tifa raised her hands out of excitement.

"Yeah, my buddy who was working at a company and got cau-" Zack stopped in his tracks and saw two hooded figures, hanging out at a light post. One was playing with a rod, twirling it around with his fingers. Cloud noticed Zack's peculiar look and was shocked to see who he was looking at.

"That's them…" Cloud whispered.

"It is?…HEY!" Zack screamed.

The two hooded figures looked at their direction and walked towards them. As they got closer, they took down their hood. It was Rude and Reno.

"What the fuck do you want huuh?" Reno pointing his rod at Zack. "Hey Rude, check this out! It's the punk that we fucked up! Hahaha. I guess this guy wants the same thing!"

"Tifa, here, take care of Cloud and step back." Zack puts on his black gloves from his back pocket. His black gloves contained silver lettering that read PAIN on the palm. He got into a fighting stance, putting both his fists up and clenching his fists.

"Cloud…" Zack turned around. "I'll show you what SWF can do to you."

"Alright, enough blabbering! Rude, I'll handle this punk!" Reno stopped twirling the steel rod and held it firmly. He charged at Zack and tried to bash his head. Zack weaved back and efficiently placed two jabs at Reno's face. It was quick, light, and strong. Surprised, Reno held his nose which started bleeding.

"Rude, looks like I'm going to need help on this punk."

Zack smiled.


	5. Chapter 5: Admiration

Cloud was so amazed at the strength and speed of Zack's jabs, reminding him of a snake striking their prey. The way he shifted his upper body to dodge Reno's attack was performed flawlessly while keeping his legs in place. It was like Zack knows the distance of his opponent's reach. The whole process was perfect, resulting to Reno's bloody nose.

Rude stepped up and gestured Reno to get out of the way. He pulled out gloves similar to Zack's and uncharacteristically smirked. "You must be involved with SWF right?"

"Maybe, maybe not." Zack joked. It was then that he realized that Rude was a former SWF fighter, expelled for different accounts for fighting dirty and almost beating his opponents to death. He was more of a brawler and depended more on strength than speed. "And I'm guessing you are one?"

"Let's find out shall we?" Rude threw the opening attack, doing combinations of left jabs and right straight punches. Zack bobbed and weaved, successfully evading the hits. He can feel the force wrapping Rude's fists, making him more cautious. By the fifth punch, Zack threw a counter punch to Rude's chin, beginning the process of his offensive.

Two jabs and a perfectly executed right hook to the body caused Rude to clench his teeth. Zack saw this opportunity and threw a haymaker, attempting to end the fight. His finisher scraped the left side of Rude's face, barely dodging the sharp punch. Zack quickly dashed back, expecting a counter attack which never came.

Rude knew he was strong and wanted to end the fight as soon as possible. He planned to finish with one powerful blow to the head, hopefully knocking him out. But he needs to set Zack up. After a few seconds of silence, Rude approached him and tilted his right shoulder to give an illusion that he was going to throw a right straight, guiding Zack to move the opposite side. "Gotcha!" Rude convincingly thought and threw a left hook.

His left hook was matched with Zack's right counter, doubling the force and ultimately knocking Rude out. Cloud's jaw dropped, seeing how such a huge person instantly drops down with just one punch. Reno's hands started to tremble in fear and his face darkened. Zack narrowed his eyes, sending out the message for Reno to leave. Astonished of the outcome, he gradually backed up, leaving his partner.

"That's Zack for you." Tifa praised. "Come on, let's get you home. You had a long day."

"Yeah…" Cloud didn't know what to say. He admired Zack's strength but feared him as well. As they started walking to Cloud's apartment, it was like nothing happened. Zack and Tifa continued to tell stories about their experiences in high school while Cloud gave a blunt nod, still shocked on the events that occurred.

"Thanks for everything." Cloud said as they arrived at the front of his apartment.

"So this is where you live? Wow, you must be rich!" Zack exclaimed looking up at the tall building.

"Cloud's parents and my parents work in the same company." Tifa explained leaning against Zack.

"Is that so….Well, Cloud I guess this is goodbye. If you need anything, just let me know!" Zack exchanged contact information with Cloud and left with Tifa holding hands. Tifa looked back and waved energetically. Cloud returned the wave with a smile and a node.

Cloud leisurely went back to his room and sat down at the kitchen table. He grabbed an apple that was with a variety of fruits at the center of the table and nibbled at it at a snail's pace. The whole room was quiet with only the sound of the grandfather clock that is placed near the plasma TV. He heaved a big sigh, and looked up to the roof. The scenes of Zack easily taking out Rude amazed him to the point where he wants to be that strong or even stronger.

He let out a soft chuckle, realizing that he won't be able to do that. He positioned the unfinished apple in front of him and went to lie down. He didn't sleep that night.

Weeks went by and Cloud fully recovered. The huge cut on his chin left a scar but Cloud liked it, making him look "tough." During Cloud's downtime, he started to watch SWF matches every day, getting familiar with the rules, fighters, and the strategies. Although, he was hooked on it, he didn't think even once that he'll be able to join or even fight. He took out a piece of paper from the drawer that has Zack's and Tifa's phone number chicken-scratched on it and contemplated if he should call.

"They might be busy…Plus, Zack doesn't have time to mess with weak people like me. He's a trainer, yeah, but I'm pretty sure he's busy with more motivated people." Cloud thought to himself. He spent most of his time inside his apartment and decided to go out for a little walk.

Little does he know, there was a little surprise waiting for him outside his door. He opened the door, and Tifa was in tears, crying her heart out.


End file.
